LONDON — As widely expected, the British government has announced the end of the passenger franchise system introduced as the means of privatizing the rail industry in 1996 and will introduce a new concession system to take its place. U.K. Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps told the media last month, “The model of privatization adopted 25 […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced a barrage of project funding, with 35 projects receiving a total of $17.6 million in funding as part of two programs. Eight rail-related items are among the 10 programs receiving a total of $9.1 million as part of the Safety Research & Demonstration program. Among those awards are […]
More Friday morning rail news: Long Island Rail Road triple-track project reaches midpoint The Long Island Rail Road Expansion project, adding 10 miles of third track on the LIRR Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y., has reached its halfway point ahead of schedule and under budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced. Grade crossings […]
Still more Friday morning rail news: Amtrak completes new platform, will resume stops in Holdrege, Neb. Amtrak’s California Zephyr will again stop in Holdrege, Neb., after an absence of several months after completion of a new station platform in the community. KHGI-TV reports that after the passenger railroad could no longer reach agreement with the owner of the 1910 […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak is experiencing near-capacity or sellout ridership on long-distance trains as it begins its shift to triweekly operation, but says it has no plans to adjust train size to increase available inventory until just before the Thanksgiving holidays. This cost-focused strategy of reducing consists and furloughing the personnel to man them limits possible […]
DALLAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is backtracking from a letter telling Japan’s prime minister that the Texas Central high speed rail project has his full support after the group opposing the project released the letter and said the governor had been misled about the status of the project. The Dallas Morning News reports that Abbott, […]
More Thursday morning rail news: Honolulu council begins process of revoking financial support for rail project The Honolulu City Council has begun the process of revoking its financial commitment toward construction of the city’s new rail system, following an earlier decision to withdraw from its part in the public-private partnership that would award the project’s […]
CHICAGO — The first Chicago Transit Authority cars being built by CRRC Sifang America have begun testing. The two-car trainset of 7000-series cars, Nos. 7005-7006, was conducting tests Thursday in the area of the Bryn Mayr station on the CTA Red Line. The first cars were delivered to the CTA’s Skokie Shops in August. The […]
In a letter to Congress, Amtrak has requested up to $4.857 billion for fiscal 2021 — an increase from its previous request for pandemic-related aid to supplement its usual funding — and warns of more cuts without such aid In the letter, Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn writes “ridership is not returning as quickly […]
CHICAGO — Metra has proposed a $700 million operating budget for 2021 that does not initially call for fare increases or service cuts — but that could change if it does not receive additional funding from other sources, such as additional federal coronavirus relief. The commuter railroad says the $700 million figure is based on […]
Wednesday midday rail news: Bay Area city files objection to high speed rail plan The city of Millbrae, Calif., has filed a “strenuous objection” to the environmental impact report filed by the California High Speed Rail Authority for the San Francisco-San Jose segment of the high speed project, saying in a press release that the plan “would […]
All through October 2020, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, grit, and grandeur of the Pacific Electric Railway. Please enjoy this Pacific Electric Railway passenger train photo gallery, originally published in February 2015. If you like this gallery, please take a look at an article on the history of the Pacific Electric, here. […]
